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O. L. & T. H. GIBBON.v COMPOUND RAIL FOR RAILWAY TRACKS.

Patented Sept. 22,1891.

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% 4 9 MAAAAQW Q-lornqy A UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

OATHARINE L. GIBBON AND THOMAS H. GIBBON, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

COMPOUND RAIL FOR RAILWAY-TRACKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,781, dated September 22, I891.

Application filed June 2'7, 1890. Renewed August 24, 1891. Serial No. 403,509. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CATHARINE L. .GIBBoN and THOMAS H. GIBBoN, both of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rails for Railway-Tracks, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in compound rails for railway tracks; and it consists in forming said rails in two sections, which are joined longitudinally in such manner that the two parts will be mutually interlocked and the head of the rail supported by a flange on the upper edge of the conjoining rail.

In the accompanying drawings, which are herein referred to and form part of this specification, Figure 1 is a transverse section of one form of our compound rail, the end of a conjoining rail being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, and Fig.

3 is a transverse section and end elevation of a modified form of our compound rail.

As represented in the drawings, our compound rail, whose cross-sectional form closely approximates that of the ordinary T-rail, is composed of a principal rail A and a complementary rail B, which are joined together longitudinally with the conjoining ends of the principal rails placed intermediately between the conjoining ends of the complementary rails, and thereby a series of breakjoints is formed throughout the entire length of a track, so as to afford great stability to the track.

The principal rail A embraces a head 1, on which the car-wheels of a train of cars bear, a web portion 2, and a bottom-flange portion 3, as shown in Fig. 1. The head 1 is beveled upwardly and inwardly, as at 4, to form an interlocking member at the upper part of said rail, as shown in Fig. 1. The head 1 is provided with a longitudinal groove 5 on its under side next to the web portion 2, said groove forming one part of an interlocking device at the upper part of the rail, as shown in Fig. 3. The principal railA is provided with a longitudinal tongue 6, whichis formed on the lower partof the inner face of said rail and is fitted to engage with a corresponding groove in the conjoining face of the complementary rail,

and thereby an interlocking device is formed at the lower part of the rail.

The complementary rail B embraces a head flange 7, which, as shown in Fig. l, is beveled on its upper face to form a close joint with the bevel in the under side of the head of the principal rail, and, as shown in Fig. 3, the said head flange is provided with a longitudinal tongue 8, which is fitted to engage in the longitudinal groove 5 of the principal rail A, and when made in either form shown and described said head fiange will interlock with the head 1 of the principal rail A. At the lower part of the inner face of the complementary rail a longitudinal groove or rabbet 9 is formed to receive the tongue 6 of the principal rail, and said tongue and groove form an interlocking device at the lower part of the compound rail when the two rails are fitted together, as shown in the drawings. A bottom-flange portion 10 is formed on the lower outer face of the complementary rail, and when the two rails are fitted together, as shown in the drawings, whereby the principal rail A is firmly held, so as to prevent any springing up of its ends from any cause, the bottom-flange portions 3 and 10 will form an ample base for supporting the compound rail.

The principal rail A and complementary rail B are fitted together so that the inner faces of the web portions 2 and 11 will be in contact, and in order to effect this the outer lower edge of the head 1, and the outer upper edge of the head flange 7 must be placed in contact, the complementary rail being held in a fixed position, with the lower part of the principal rail swung away from the complementary rail and the end of the latter about midway of the length of the principal rail. Then by swinging the lower part of the prin cipal rail toward the complementary rail the two will be locked together at top and bot tom, so as to prevent any vertical movement of either, and likewise to prevent any direct lateral separation of said rails.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is-

A track-rail composed of a principal rail and a complementary rail, said principal rail being composed of a head portion, a web portion, a bottom-flange portion, and a longitudinal tongue at the lower part of its inner being fifited to interlock with the correspondface, and the complementary rail having a ing groove of the complementary rail, as and I0 head flange, a Web portion, a bottonrfiange for the purpose herein specified.

portion, and a longitudinal groove at the lower CATIIARINE L. GIBBUN. 5 part of its inner face, the head of said prin- THOMAS H. GIBBON.

oipal rail being fitted to overlap and inter- \Vitnesses:

look with the head flange of said co1nplement- TM. II. LOW,

my rail, and the lower tongue of the letter S. B. BREWER. 

